Grill cleaning tools are desirable for cleaning grill surfaces, such as platen grills used in the quick-service restaurant industry. It is desirable for such grill cleaning tools to be capable of withstanding the operating temperature of the grill surface such that the grill can be cleaned while it is in operation.
Prior art grill cleaning tools and associated methods include the grill cleaning tool 10 shown in FIG. 1. The prior art tool includes grill tool handle 12, grill scrubber head 14, and pad 16. As shown in the Figure, the grill handle 12 is an elongated linear member that is attached to the scrubber head 12. The pad 16 is disposed only on the top and bottom of the scrubber head 12.
Cleaning a grill surface, such as a platen clamshell grill, can be a strenuous job. When the prior art grill cleaning tool 10 is used to clean a grill surface, it is difficult, if not impossible, for the operator to orient the grill tool 10 to clean the entire grill surface, such as the back and sides of the grill which may be at odd angles and/or in tight spaces. Particularly, the linear configuration of the grill tool handle 12 makes it difficult for the operator to orient the grill tool to reach the difficult-to-reach areas of the grill without the operator's hand touching the hot grill surface. Also, the configuration of the pad 16 on the head 14 inhibits the pad 16 from reaching those difficult areas of the grill because the pad 16 is disposed only on the top and bottom of the head 14, and not also on the sides and ends of the head 14.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a grill cleaning tool and associated pad that enables to the operator to orient the tool to efficiently and safely clean grill surfaces, such as platen grill surfaces.
It would also be desirable to provide a grill cleaning tool having a removable pad that enables the operator to quickly replace the pad on the grill cleaning tool.